Education Response to the article in De Limburger newspaper: Netherlands Police Academy equips new Police Officers with entry-level competence Written on Friday, December 29, 2023 On 28 December 2023, the daily newspaper De Limburger published an article claiming that police officers fresh from the Netherlands Police Academy who are set to work in Limburg have too little knowledge for the job. For this reason, the Police Unit provides them with 3 months of extra training before they can operate independently. The Netherlands Police Academy recognizes that cutting the length of the training programme has consequences for the number of hours for teaching and practical learning. However, this does not detract from the fact that the training programme, like its predecessors, fits new police officers to start as all-round officers in a frontline policing team. The diplomas issued meet the requirements set by the minister. The Netherlands Police Academy’s management board welcomes all opportunities to enter into further discussion with the Police Unit in question and the police organization as a whole to explore whether there are openings for improvement and assistance.